New York v. Silicon Valley

New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman probably didn't realize that by picking a fight with the online exchange Airbnb, he was declaring war on the Internet community. Or at least that's how online businesses interpreted his subpoena of the start-up's proprietary records.

Last month, the AG demanded that Airbnb hand over the contact information, gross revenues and checking or PayPal account numbers of New Yorkers who list their personal spaces as short-term rentals on its site. The AG's office surmised that many of...